The People’s Campaign has confirmed it will “engage in an escalating strategy” to get Government to resolve the issue of long-term residents gaining Bermudian status via a legal “loophole”.

But the group’s three leaders told The Royal Gazette they also planned to focus on other issues in their manifesto, including pushing for improved consumer protection, robust corporate accountability and increased taxation for the rich.

Union leaders Chris Furbert and Jason Hayward and the Rev Nicholas Tweed sat down with this newspaper to talk about the organisation’s key aims, describing how it formed “organically” out of a shared desire to represent the “urgent” concerns of the community.

In recent weeks, the contentious issue of PRC holders applying for Bermudian status due to a glitch in the law — and what Government should do about that — has been the group’s main focus, culminating in a march to Cabinet on July 25.

The three men criticised this newspaper for a July 28 editorial after the march which referred to “mob rule” and described the People’s Campaign as issuing an ultimatum to Government which “came close to being an exercise in mass intimidation”.

BIU president Mr Furbert said the term “mob rule” was “offensive, absolutely” and compared it to media coverage of the June, 2009 protest outside Cabinet after the arrival of the Uighurs.

“They weren’t referred to as no mob, you know,” he said. “No. But they could have [been] because of how they behaved.”

Mr Tweed added: “The Establishment newspaper is doing what, historically, it has always done to black people. Any time black people don’t remain where they are supposed to remain in their view, they are referred to us as a mob, a mobocracy, usurping parliamentary process.

“So when you talk about democracy, how is a peaceful, orderly expression of the will of the people, a mob? Is that not part of democracy?

“The country is frustrated and I think people need to have avenues through which they can express their will.”

Mr Hayward said: “When you use that type of language it associates the campaign as being something that is negative, rather than something that is positive.”

The trio insists Government was not issued with an ultimatum by the group to respond to its demands over the PRC issue within seven days or face further protests.

At the July 25 march, Mr Furbert told the crowd: “This is just phase one and I want you to pay attention because this is just phase one and phase two can be completely different to this phase here. Take that to the bank. Stay tuned for part two.”

Asked by a crowd member what he meant by a second phase, he replied: “We’re waiting for a response from the Premier. After that response comes, that will dictate phase two. We expect a response within seven days.”

The Bermuda Industrial Union president told this newspaper his comments were reported out of context and used in the “wrong manner” by the media.

Mr Tweed said the People’s Campaign’s written request to Government contained no deadline.

“An audience member or a participant in the march asked the question — because people are very frustrated at not being heard — ‘How long are we going to wait for them to respond?’ So we said seven days.

“Unconnected to that comment, somebody asked the question: if you don’t hear something, then do you have another strategy, what is your strategy? Our first response was that we don’t discuss strategy in public.

“The second response was that we will engage in an escalating strategy and that was where the other comment was taken a little bit out of context and married to the seven days.”

The pastor of St Paul AME Church said a response was received from Government and a process was under way but he added: “I’m not going to say we are satisfied. Satisfaction would come with the resolution of the issue.”

The People’s Campaign wants Government to suspend status applications from PRC holders, amend the law to remove the loophole and launch a review of immigration policy resulting in a “revised policy that would provide a reasonable and fair path to status for PRC holders”.

Mr Tweed said the original intent of the legislation, passed under the former PLP government, was not to provide status via a loophole.

“If I invite you to my house, just because I extend an invitation, is it acceptable for you to climb through the window?” he said.

The clergyman, a work permit holder whose father Kingsley Tweed was instrumental in ending segregation in Bermuda, said the fact he wasn’t Bermudian and had only been working here for 18 or 19 months should not detract from his comments on behalf of locals.

“I have family here. My father was one of the significant figures in desegregating the Island and contributing to the expansion of the franchise. So I don’t come to this Island as a ‘foreigner’. So it’s a little different. It’s the uninformed that attempt to use it as a slur. My advice to them is to really do their homework.”

He said he was “eternally here for now. Eternity is a long time but I am definitely here for now.”

Mr Hayward, president of Bermuda Public Services Union, said that while Government considered the PRC issue, the People’s Campaign would continue advocating on behalf of the people for equality, jobs and justice.

The group wants those with annual incomes of more than $750,000 to be subject to payroll tax for their full salaries and for “rich individuals” who don’t work to be taxed on their assets.

It also wants Government to force banks to lower their interest rates and for the Department of Consumers Affairs to be given “more teeth”.

Mr Hayward said Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy had agreed to put a raft of proposals from the group before Cabinet for a formal discussion. “We await the outcome,” he added.